By Kingsley Asiedu
The J.E.A. Mills Memorial Heritage has officially launched a series of activities to commemorate the 14th anniversary of the passing of former President John Evans Atta Mills, the third President of the Fourth Republic and Ghana’s only Head of State to die in office.
At a press conference held at the International Press Centre in Accra yesterday, Mr. Alex Segbefia, Chairman of the J.E.A. Mills Memorial Heritage, announced a robust programme of events designed to honour the life and legacy of the late President, who passed on peacefully on July 24, 2012, at 1:40 p.m. .
The commemoration begins today with this press conference and will culminate in a series of public events. The highlight will be the 14th Anniversary Commemorative Lecture on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, at 2 p.m. at the Kofi Ohene Konadu Auditorium, University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA).
The lecture will be delivered by renowned cardiothoracic surgeon and former Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, under the theme “President John Evans Atta Mills, Fourteen Years On” . The event will be chaired by Ms. Hannah Serwah Tetteh, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Special Representative for Libya, a former Minister of Foreign Affairs .
The main anniversary event, a Wreath-Laying Ceremony and Memorial Service, will occur on Friday, July 24, 2026, at 9 a.m. at the Asomdwee Park, near Osu Castle. President John Dramani Mahama will lay a wreath on behalf of the Republic of Ghana. Other wreaths will be laid by representatives of Parliament, the widow, Mrs. Ernestina Naadu Mills, the family, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the J.E.A. Mills Memorial Heritage, and the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs.
The commemoration will conclude on Saturday, July 25, 2026, with the President John Evans Atta Mills Memorial Hockey Tournament at the Theodosia Okoh National Hockey Pitch in Accra, at 9:30 a.m. .
Mr. Segbefia reminded the media of the late President’s vision, quoting him: “It will be my duty as President to heal wounds and Unite Our Dear Nation… as I am enjoined by the constitution to do.” The J.E.A. Mills Memorial Heritage, a not-for-profit, non-partisan organisation incorporated in 2021, was established to preserve this heritage and promote his unique view of society to strengthen democratic values and human development .
